Guangzhou City
Just when Jia Heng was inspecting the Guangdong Navy and deploying troops and generals, Guangdong Governor Zhou Zao, who had been to Zhaoqing for an early inspection, also returned to the capital in a low-key manner accompanied by his entourage.
In the governor's yamen, in an elegantly furnished study in the back hall of the official hall, Zhou Zao changed out of his official robes and wore a uniform. He sat on a chair behind a bookcase, picked up a teacup, and fiddled with the foam in a tureen. This second-level Jinshi from Yimao Branch during the Longzhi period was in his early forties, with slender cheeks and elegant demeanor. He asked: "Master Liang, who went to Panyu?"
"Lord Zhongcheng, Uncle Yongning has threatened to take back the Hao Mirror. He has been inspecting the Guangdong Navy for the past few days. Now there is a lot of discussion in the streets and alleys of Guangzhou." The old man with the goatee opposite said with a chuckle.
Zhou Zao chuckled lightly, put down the teacup, and said: "This Uncle Yongning never stops wherever he goes. The camps in Jiangnan and Jiangbei are not enough for him, and now he has gone to Guangdong to light a fire."
According to the recent Di Di newspaper, because of Uncle Yongning in the Jiangnan officialdom, two ministers of the Ministry of War have been dismissed from their posts by the imperial envoys in Beijing. Shen Fang, the most powerful governor of Liangjiang, has also been dismissed and retained.
Can he do it without hiding?
The old man with a goatee said: "Master Zhongcheng, once a war breaks out, the imperial court will definitely pay attention. This is also an opportunity for Zhongcheng."
】
"Hey, don't act rashly. Don't seek merit, but seek no faults. If Jia Ziyu likes to toss, let him do it." Zhou Zao said with a chuckle.
Chief Liang reminded: "Master Zhongcheng, I heard that Liu Xiaoyuan, the Chief Envoy's political advisor, went to Panyu."
Hearing Liu Xiaoyuan's name, Zhou Zao looked gloomy and asked, "What's going on? What is he doing in Panyu?"
Chief Liang lowered his voice and said: "Liu Shenzheng and Lianghuai Salt Administration Lin Ruhai were of the same year, and Uncle Yongning came from Yangzhou, so Mr. Zhongcheng had to be on guard."
Hearing this, Zhou Zao frowned, a cold look appeared in his eyes, and said, "What do you mean?"
Liu Xiaoyuan initially disagreed with his political views, but later started to focus on some of his family's business in Guangdong.
"Liu Shenzheng insists on opening up the sea. Will he go to Panyu this time to plan this matter? Or, Liu Shenzheng is not on good terms with Mr. Zhongcheng and will he stir up trouble?" Chief Liang reminded.
Zhou Zao frowned and said in a deep voice: "As soon as the sea ban was lifted, people came and went frequently, and people in Guangzhou were in chaos. A few years ago, Liu Xiaoyuan advised me to go all out to open the sea. I felt that the disadvantages were too great, and I didn't want him to fight again. It’s really unreasonable to follow Uncle Yongning’s idea!”
This matter is a bit tricky. If Uncle Yongning, who holds the Holy Scroll, has been able to force Chen Kaihai, it is impossible to say that it really caused the central government to think about opening up the sea. At that time, the merchants of Guangdong were doing their own thing, and the people were floating to the sea to make a living. The land of Guangdong management is more inconvenient.
Moreover, if the slander is spread, it is a matter of doubt whether he, the governor of Guangdong, can continue to work.
Chief Liang asked, "What are your plans, Master Zhongcheng?"
"Let people keep an eye on them. I will write a letter to Mr. Zhao Ge and Mr. Han Ge in the imperial court." Zhou Zao frowned and said coldly: "He is so good, we must not let him ruin the good situation in Guangdong. .”
On the other side, Jia Heng and Chen Xiao left Panyu, where the Guangdong Marine Corps was based, and returned to the post house. They came to the study room in the back hall and sat down.
Chen Xiaoqingli's eyebrows were filled with thoughts, and she said softly: "What you said today will probably spread throughout Guangzhou in a short time."
Jia Heng said: "It's better to build momentum first."
Chen Xiaoyu paused for a moment, then mentioned another matter and said: "This morning, news came from Jinling. The first batch of two million taels of silver submitted by Wang Shouqi and others was sent to the Zhenfu Division in Jinling. Kun wants to send this money to the household department of the capital to support various expenses of the border troops and officials in the capital."
Jia Heng's face darkened, and he said: "Tell them, it won't be too late to use this money until the Ministry of Internal Affairs comes over. Now the new army is training in Jiangnan and Jiangbei camps, and money is needed in all aspects to purchase ordnance and ships. The Ministry of Household Affairs is not a new year." After harvesting the autumn grain, why are we so anxious to use this money?"
Among the eight major salt merchants in Yangzhou, Cheng, Ma, Huang, and Bao were found to have 40 to 50 million taels in property. It can be said that this is the foundation of the Han salt industry for a century. He found out that the money was not given to Yang Guochang. Life-extending.
As for the other major salt merchants, they could donate part of their money to the Ministry of Household Treasury to fight the famine, but this was an opportunity for him to push Lin Ruhai to come to Beijing, and now was not the time.
Lin Ruhai was originally the fourth-rank imperial censor of Zuoqiandu. Returning to the capital with such a great reputation, his promotion to the minister of household affairs was a sure thing. At that time, when Yang Guochang resigned, Qi Kun might be able to replace him as minister, but with his qualifications, he would definitely become the minister. Without the first assistant or the second assistant, at that time, out of consideration of balancing the political situation and the special status of the Ministry of Hubu, the emperor might look for an opportunity to still let the two people from the Ministry of Hubu join the cabinet.
Chen Xiao put down the tea cup and whispered: "If you don't give it to the Ministry of Finance, then the Ministry of Finance may not have a hard time this year. It is estimated that everyone is counting on this money to repair the hole."
Jia Heng said: "The recovered salt and silver arrears will be sent to the Ministry of Household Affairs. Those corrupt officials have taken advantage of them. If ten percent can be used, it will be good if five or six percent of it can be used. It is better to wait a little longer. This money must be put to practical use."
"By the way, the reorganization of the border troops in the spring this year is also in disarray. In the northwest Gansu, Ningxia, Guyuan, Datong, Taiyuan and other military towns, listening to the Jinyi intelligence over there, those generals in order to protect their own The status and the number of soldiers have not been reduced, but the actual number has been supplemented regardless of the situation. Now the soldiers have just been recruited and their combat effectiveness is low." Jia Heng frowned.
The Prince of Nan'an County and Marquis Baoling did not want to offend anyone, so they simply reduced the number of troops and horses, and then urged the generals to recruit and train to replenish the actual quota. The generals were not fools, so they added servants and some new soldiers to the official army.
Hearing this, Chen Xiao looked at Jia Heng with bright eyes and whispered: "The Jurchens are harassing the coast this time. You said before that the Jurchens are planning to attack the east and west, and will they take action in Mongolia? Will there be war in Mongolia before the end of the year?"
Jia Heng said: "Now that there is peace in the south of the Yangtze River, there will be no movement in the northern Xinjiang. If there is no war this year, it will be the beginning of spring next year, or Jiangnan will start something first. The Jurchen strategy should be roughly like this."
In fact, when Duduo sent out the talisman to summon the Korean navy to prepare for revenge, Jurchen had already received the news that Duduo had suffered a complete defeat in the south of the Yangtze River.
The loss of 300 Zhengbai Banner elites shocked the nobles in Houjin. The original plan to send troops in October was also shaken because of this incident, and one of the Khalkha Mongols that was originally only attached to it was also shaken. There was instability, and the discussion of mobilizing troops was gradually delayed.
Therefore, the entire Han Dynasty, north and south, looked like there was no war in Peiping.
While the two were talking, Xue Baoqin came from the backyard and sat on a chair not far from Jia Heng. With a hint of curiosity on the girl's face as white as snow, she asked: "Brother Heng, how are you? "
Jia Heng looked at Bao Qin with warm eyes and said softly: "Nothing's wrong, sister Bao Qin, I'll ask your sister Xiao to prepare delicious food for you later."
At this moment, Jia Heng didn't even realize that there was always a sense of sight that told her cousin, "Let your sister-in-law prepare delicious food for you. All that's missing is a far-angle shot. My sister-in-law is cooking in the kitchen, and my cousin is in the living room..."
Chen Xiao got up at this time, glanced first at Jia Heng, then at Xue Baoqin, and said in a low voice: "You two brothers and sisters talk, I will cook."
Jia Heng looked at the tall Chen Xiao and whispered, "Well, let's go."
Xue Baoqin sat down at this time and asked: "Brother Heng, will there be a war over there in Haojing?"
Jia Heng pondered for a moment and said, "We can't say anything now. Sister, there's no need to worry. The war won't affect us here."
Xue Baoqin nodded and said with a sweet smile: "I thought if Brother Heng's side ends early, we can return to Jinling together."
Jia Heng said: "It's very lively in Beijing. Your sister Lin and several sisters from the Li family are all in Jinling now."
Baoqin smiled and asked: "Brother Heng, I heard from Sister Xiao last night that you came from Jinling? Did you fight for the Jurchens in Jinling?"
Jia Heng nodded and said softly: "A Jurchen prince contacted a group of pirates and wanted to disrupt the coastal areas south of the Yangtze River, so they fought at Haimen."
With that, he narrated the previous naval battle to Baoqin and said, "It's a pity that Duduo escaped."
The girl was wearing a pink and white dress, with airy bangs. Her bright eyes under her curved eyebrows blinked, and she listened curiously to Jia Heng's story.
And a snow-white arm like a lotus root is supported on the small table, and the skin is as white as frost. A chubby hand with a red string bead hanging on it is holding Fendudu's face, and the watery almond eyes can be seen. With a look of yearning, she listened so intently that even the coral red earrings on her earlobes remained motionless.
It seemed that he was imagining the scene of a battle between the two parties, but regrettably he never saw it.
After Jia Heng narrated the war, he looked at the plump and lovely girl and said softly: "Sister Baoqin, on my way back just now, I asked someone to go to the inn to ask. My uncle's body and bones are getting better. I think he will be here in a few days." Okay, let’s go back to Jinling together then.”
Bao Qin nodded, sighed and said: "Dad has traveled all over the world these years, and his body is stronger than the rest of us. He is also tired from this trip to sea."
Jia Heng said with emotion: "It's really hard to go to sea. My sister has been to many places over the years, and her knowledge must have increased a lot."
Bao Qin chuckled and said, "I met a lot of interesting people. These Yi people have hair of various colors and some have blue eyes."
Jia Heng smiled and said, "When you have time, how about Sister Baoqin talking to me?"
"Okay." Bao Qin's brows and eyes resembled Baochai's, with a bright smile and her face as pink as snow and as white as rosy as she answered happily.
While the two of them were talking, they saw Chen Xiao ordering a few nannies to carry the food into the back hall and softly said: "Come and eat."
Jia Heng smiled and said, "Okay, no more talking, let's go eat."
Looking at Bao Qin always reminds him of Bao Chai, and he wonders what happened to Bao Chai in Beijing.
Bao Qin smiled and nodded, and the two of them sat down around the table and started eating.
…
…
Time flies so fast that another three days pass before you know it.
In the past few days, Jia Heng frequently inspected the Guangdong Navy during the day, actively prepared for war, and mobilized infantry from other prefectures and counties, as if he was intensively preparing for war.
As the Guangdong Marine Division began to cut off the entrance and exit of Haojing in several groups, a large number of infantry set up checkpoints at Xiangshan Gate to block the daily supplies transported to Haojing from the outside, which suddenly caused the Portuguese in Haojing to panic.
On this day, Jia Heng returned to the post house from the Yuehai Navy Station. As soon as he sat down, Fan Wei came to report to Hao Jing that Bujia Road, the governor of Australia, had sent a Han envoy named Li Han to come and ask for an audience. Now in the front hall of the post house waiting.
"Young Li Han, I have met Uncle Yong Ning." Mr. Li bowed respectfully to the young man in python suit opposite, with a shrewd light shining in his little eyes.
Jia Heng looked calm, looked at the old man opposite, and asked: "Did Bugalu send you here?"
Mr. Li smiled and said: "Sir Bugalu received Uncle Yongning's negotiation request last time. In principle, he can agree. However, regarding the dispatch of officials to manage Haojing and the disbandment of the army, I hope to negotiate with Uncle Yongning again."
After Mr. Li's persuasion, Aodu Bujialu decided to have a good talk with Jia Heng. Apart from whether the army should be disbanded, there was still room for negotiation on several other issues.
Jia Heng said in a deep voice: "I have already said the conditions for the renewal of the lease last time, and I will not repeat them again. As far as the garrison is concerned, the army in Haojing must be disbanded. No country will tolerate the presence of other countries on its own land." armed forces, this is the bottom line for our negotiations!”
When Mr. Li heard this, his heart was slightly shuddered, but with a smile on his face, he said cautiously: "Uncle Yongning, regarding the arrears of the lease, we can make up for the rent arrears over the years, but the disbandment of the army is really unacceptable, and I The other side has established an autonomous committee to manage the local people. If Guangdong sends officials again, there will be language barriers and communication barriers. I am afraid that management will be inconvenient. Will it be jointly managed by both parties?"
Jia Heng said: "Haojing is my Han Dynasty's land. The army must be disbanded. Either there will be a battle and there will be no more red barbarians in Haojing, or the red barbarians will disband the army. As for sending officials to manage it, this is still our jurisdiction." "The Autonomous Committee established by the Portuguese can serve as a non-governmental organization to mediate disputes among expatriates in the country. This is our biggest concession."
If the principle of territorial jurisdiction is followed, even criminal disputes involving domestic expatriates on the land of other countries should be handled by local officials.
As for whether the Portuguese would accept it or not, in the Ming Dynasty in parallel time and space, the Portuguese almost refused to comply with Ming Dynasty's demands. Now it is clear that they have begun to push their limits after seeing the big man ignore them for decades.
The smile on Mr. Li's face did not diminish and he said: "Uncle Yongning, with the combat power of the Guangdong Navy, if a fight really breaks out, the casualties of the Yuehai Navy will not be small. Uncle Yongning will not be able to explain to the court, right?" "
Jia Heng sneered and said, "How do I explain to the court? I don't need to worry about you, a person who has forgotten his ancestors."
With a deep voice, he shouted: "Fighting to defend the territory of the Han Dynasty, even if there are casualties, as long as we get back the Hao Mirror, the casualties will be acceptable. On the other hand, if Hongyi fights with the imperial court, I promise to get back the Hao Mirror." After the earth, there will no longer be a Hongyi!"
Mr. Li's expression suddenly changed, his heart trembled, and he said, "I will convey Uncle Yongning's wishes to Sir."
Jia Heng raised his eyes to look at Li Shu and said, "Send Mr. Li back."
After Li Han left, Chen Xiao had thoughts in his eyes and asked, "Will Bujialu agree to your terms?"
"Whether you agree or not, you can't change the outcome of Hao Jing." Jia Heng looked into the distance and said softly: "But I think Bugalu would have agreed if he wasn't an impulsive and reckless man."
As the Yuehai navy gathered, it could actually be seen that the Han army was not so corrupt that it could not even take down a Hao mirror. It was just a matter of the cost of casualties.
And now they are putting extreme pressure on Hao Jing.
Haojing, the official residence of the Governor of Australia
After listening to what Mr. Li said, Bugalu's face was gloomy and he was speechless for a long time.
war? This decision is not easy to make.
The Han Kingdom has a vast territory and rich resources. Even if it fails for a while, it will gather a larger army to attack, and things will not end well at that time.
Mr. Li sighed and reminded: "Governor, Yong Ningbo's troops stationed in the Guangdong Navy have surrounded the entire Haojing and blocked all sea lanes. Once a fight breaks out, we will be isolated and helpless."
Carlos said angrily: "Sir, the Han country has bullied others too much, we can destroy them!"
Bugalu waved his hand, frowned, and shouted in a low voice: "Don't be impulsive."
As he spoke, he walked towards the courtyard, worry visible on his face.
He wants to hold on to this land and wait for the opportunity to turn it into a bridgehead for the Far East Continent, not to throw away this bridgehead.
Mr. Li reminded: "Sir, Uncle Yongning cannot stay in Guangdong forever. After he leaves, we still have the possibility of bribing Guangdong officials and re-establishing the army. A little impatience will mess up the big plan."
In the beginning, he bribed Guangdong officials so that he could stay here and gradually develop and grow.
Buga Road looked gloomy. As Carlos waited anxiously, he mused: "It is not appropriate to start a war now. As Mr. Li said, even if the army is disbanded now, we will have the manpower and guns to reorganize it in the future. But Once a war breaks out, even if the invading Han army is defeated, it will only trigger more violent revenge from the Han army."
Mr. Li whispered: "If Sir, you want peace talks, then you can try to retain the guards at the Australian Governor's residence as we discussed the day before yesterday, and at the same time organize the relevant troops into ship escorts and disperse them among the sailing ships, waiting for Yong Ningbo to arrive." Let’s go and avoid the limelight so we can reorganize our army.”
In his opinion, as long as there are guns and firepower, when the Han Dynasty's management of Hao Jing relaxes, there will be a chance to make a comeback.
Carlos said anxiously: "The Han people will definitely send people to monitor him. Sir, you can't listen to this Han man. It's impossible for him to collude with Han officials to deceive Sir."
Bugaloo glared at Carlos fiercely and shouted: "Don't be rude to Mr. Li."
Mr. Li said: "At that time, you could bribe Han officials, but they were all a bunch of greedy wolves."
After hearing this, Bugalu nodded, made up his mind, looked at Mr. Li aggressively, and said: "Mr. Li, you accompany me to Panyu in person, meet with the earl of Han, and discuss the terms and details of the lease. .”
When Carlos heard this, he said with an anxious expression: "Sir, if the despicable Han Chinese detain Sir and launch a sneak attack, it will be a disaster for Hao Jing."
In fact, in the Ming Dynasty in parallel time and space, during the war between the Ming army and the Portuguese, they basically launched sneak attacks without any moral ethics. This matter is recorded in historical materials.
"There is a saying in the Han Dynasty that two countries are fighting without killing each other. If the Han Dynasty really does that, war will be inevitable." Bugalu said coldly, with a more determined look on his face.
Mr. Li bowed and said, "Sir, I will inform Uncle Yong Ning of the Han Dynasty to prepare for contact."
Sir Bugaloo nodded, then came to the window, looked at the lush mountains and forests in the distance, and fell into deep thought.
After Mr. Li left, Carlos persuaded him: "Sir, this is a risky decision."
"We came here just to take risks." Bugalu looked at Carlos and said: "If we start a war, even if we win one, it will cause retaliation from Han in the future, and we will lose Hao Jing."
When Carlos heard this, a cold look flashed in his eyes and he said no more.
Since Sir insists on choosing the cunning and despicable Han people, he cannot be blamed.
Carlos's deep eyes vaguely reflected a plump and graceful figure, and a touch of fire surged in his heart.
Soon, Jia Heng received a special envoy from Sir Bugalu with a message to go to Panyu to see him.
Being in Panyu rather than in Haojing naturally showed Bugaru's goodwill.
In the post house——
After hearing the report from the Jinyi Palace Guard, Chen Xiao frowned, thinking on his crystal jade face, and whispered: "Is this Bugalu planning to agree to your conditions?"
Jia Heng thought for a moment and said with a faint look: "Since the Hongyi want to occupy Haojing, they are unwilling to conflict with our country. In fact, as long as our country continues to take care of its own internal affairs like the Liaodong War, it won't take long for them to Continue to occupy Haojing as before."
In fact, we have made two preparations before. If a war breaks out, we will take back Haojing by force. If Haojing compromises, we will strive for more conditions, and then wait for one or two years to completely solve Haojing's problem.
These people thought that the court's scarce attention would not always be occupied by Hao Jing. If we follow parallel time and space, this is indeed the case. From the Qing army entering the country in the late Ming Dynasty, for a long time, the Qing government had no time to pay attention to Hao Jing. Hongyi.
But he was different. Later, he would use the window of Haojing to observe the changes in the West.
At this moment, Xue Baoqin walked to the study with a plate of washed grapes. Under his beautiful eyebrows, his crystal clear eyes were shining, and he said in surprise: "Brother Heng, is Sir Bugalou coming?"
Jia Heng looked at the innocent girl, chuckled and said, "I won't be able to do without Sister Xue's translation later."
Baoqin said "Hmm", sat down, took a bunch of grapes, handed them over, and said with a slight smile on her pink face: "Brother Heng, eat grapes."
Jia Heng took the bunch of grapes and nodded.
